Starfox Command - Nintendo DS

Ah, public transportation. Many believe strongly in the power of buses and trains to reduce each human's carbon footprint and save the planet. Walt Disney envisioned that cities of the future would all have centralized, efficient, and clean public transportation systems to take people to and fro. Well, Walt must never have been in Philadelphia on a Septa train. I personally have. There are days when I spend up to and including three hours sitting on a train, and I can tell you, riding is no utopia.

In order to help while away the hours I spend on the train, last week I decided to invest in a Nintendo DS Lite. For those who don't know, this is Nintendo's latest hand-held console, in the style of GameBoy. The gimmick with the DS is the dual-screen function combined with a touch-screen gameplay. And the first game on my menu? Starfox Command.

If you're familiar with the Starfox series, the cast will be familiar to you. Fox McCloud is back with Slippy Toad, Falco, Amanda and all the others.



Basically, Starfox Command boils down to a turn-based air combat game. You go from one map to the next, and you have to use the stylus to draw a path on the touch-screen map assigning your ship to a particular arena of fighting. You can control up to four fighters per map, although you do not have the ability to choose which four you assign.

The pre-battle map on the bottom, your selection of pilots on top.

As in many a Nintendo game, the story line of Starfox Command is inane. Something to do with saving the galaxy from the evil Emperor, patching up damaged interpersonal relationships between anthropomorphic animals, with just a dash of braggadoccio. But you didn't buy Starfox for the story, you bought it for the air combat sections. And these do not disappoint.

The flight controls were very novel, at least for me; this being my first DS game. Instead of controlling with the control pad and shooting with A, B, X, or whatever, you fly your ships using the touch screen. The top screen shows a third-person view from behind the spaceship, and the touch-screen on the bottom displays an inset map of the area you're flying through. If you want the ship to bank right, you drag the stylus to the right. If you want to speed up, you double tap the top of the screen and hold it there. There are buttons on the side of the touch screen that give you bombs, somersault ability, and barrel rolls. And any of the six buttons on the DS do the same thing: they shoot the lasers.

In flight controls

As far as the game goes, the battles are a lot of fun, although I daresay they border on the ridiculously easy. The biggest issue I had with Starfox Command was that it was over all too quickly. I was sitting on the train yesterday, killing many a space fish and galactic giant worm, and next thing I know, its over. I had beaten the game. In like, maybe, 10 hours of play. Only twenty minutes into my commute home. And I'm sorry, I don't care if a game is hand-held, it needs to last at least until my stop.

Master Chief and I Have The Same Initials!

By TheTurk

The much-anticipated release of Halo 3 brings with it a bit of closure for gamers: after the original Halo became one of the most successful first-person shooters in history, the franchise's sophomore release was, well, sophomoric. Generally a disappointment to all of mankind forever and ever, Halo 2 was guilty of two cardinal sins. I'm reminded of an old joke where two elderly women returned from a cruise and were asked about the food. "Awful", they said, "and there wasn't nearly enough of it". No, I'm not expecting you to laugh, jerkstore.

Halo 2 was far too short for such a hotly anticipated game. When I got my hands on my reserved Special Fake Metal Case Edition With The Special Features Disk I Never Watched Special, it only took a couple nights of casual gaming to complete it. There I sat, befuddled, mouth agape in protest, expecting to see Master Chief appear on screen after the credits, sitting in a leather chair by a fire, holding a brandy snifter, chortling to himself good-naturedly. "Oh Matthew", he would say, "I could never betray you, my boy. Here are the other eight levels of the game. They are quite good, and I'm sure you'll like them. And here's twenty dollars. Cheers!".

But there was no Master Chief. No snifter. No twenty dollars. Just me and my crushed dreams, like a delicious Triscuit at the bottom of the box, the Triscuit being my dreams, not me...and the box was my heart. What were we talking about?

Despite the wounds we received from Halo 2, we're all just Tinas to Halo's Ike Turner; no one is ready to dismiss the entire franchise yet. But the game's creators should take note of several things that worked in the first and several things that either fizzled or died in the second. First, which we've already mentioned, is the length of the campaign. Halo was a good length, the story was meaty and well-paced, and the addition of the Flood was a great way to punch up the game and refresh the gamer. On the other end of the spectrum, the decision to force the gamer to play as an elite in H2 is downright insulting to his sensibilities. Why would we enthusiastically kill elites in the first Halo, knowing that they are our sworn enemy, and then turn around and feel sorry for the leader of the campaign against the Chief? I picture a group of designers and executives sitting around a table, chirping, "Well, as long as they're shooting something, they won't care", to which I reply, "Erroneous!!".

The weaponry in the first Halo had balls aplenty. The arsenal in H2 was just this side of BB guns and water balloons, although the Needler (or as I like to call it, the Pink Death), regardless of which Halo it's in, has to go. And dual-wielding? A gimmick, a compensation, completely unnecessary to the game, and in cases, distracting.

And what happened to combat on Earth? If you will remember the numerous ads building up to H2, Earth was never going to be the same, insinuating the Covenant were coming to our home, engaging the Master Chief in an all-out-continent-hopping-knock-down-drag-out. All we got was one level that may as well have been Tattooine (it certainly looked like it), and the world seems pretty much the same way we left it: governments are intact, cities in order, American Idol every Tuesday and Wednesday, etc. What happened to the destruction of the world by alien onslaught, dammit?

H2 is obviously a bit of a sore spot. I think the designers could tell that I was upset, because watching interviews and documentaries on H3's production, there seems to be a general pointing-of-the-finger at someone for tripping up the creative line of thinking at Halo HQ, as though some cigar-chomping executive came by and tore a perfect game asunder.

Shortcomings aside, watching the trailers and teasers for H3 gives me that old tingly feeling. The music, the Chief, the melodrama, takes me back to the excitement of the first Halo. Granted, we all felt that way when we saw the trailer for H2. Remember that seven minute movie of the guy playing at E3? I must have burned a hole in my hard drive watching that so many times. But, I suppose that's the thing about the Halo series that shows it's one of the greats: no matter how bad the food is, there'll never be enough of it.

Weekly Survey Blog

By Veggie Jackson

The Xbox 360 in my house is technically owned in equal part by me and my lovely wife. I say technically because since it was given to us as a joint birthday present, I have logged 135 hours on Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, as well as a good 200-250 hours on other games, and she has played the Viva Pinata demo for an hour. Sadly, there's just not much out there for her and other gamer-chicks to play on the traditional consoles. It's not a question of her liking games: I'll put her up against anyone out there in Civilization IV or Word Whomp. She just has no interest in first-person-shooters, RPG's, beat-em-ups or boxing, and I'm guessing that most women are on the same page.

Girls do love horsies.

The dilemma is this: Do developers not make girl-games because there aren't enough girl gamers, or are there too few girl-gamers because of the lack of female-focused games? Or is it something else entirely, like a super-secret conspiracy between the game developers, Gloria Steinem, Jack Thompson and the reverse vampires? Now, I know that there are millions of women and girls playing games online, probably more than men, but I'm talking about console games. Hardcore gaming takes place on consoles and to me, that's what Gamervision is all about. So tell me what you think, and if you're a married or attached guy, ask your lady-friend about it too. Hell, ask your grandma what she thinks (once she's done Wii bowling).

GTA: Wisteria Lane

A New Ethos

By Lord Of Whimsy

e-thos / noun

the fundamental and distinctive character of a group, social context, or period of time, typically expressed in attitudes, habits, and beliefs.



Here at the compound we like to think of ourselves as a place to hang out, meet new people, and exchange ideas and information with old friends.
Gamervision is more than just a site about games. It’s so much more than that. It’s about the vision gamers have on the world and on life. Gamers have a certain lifestyle and outlook that sets them apart. It’s its own culture. It’s a lifestyle that sets them apart…like skateboarders, or rock and rollers. They have their own ethos.



We want the site to be your neighborhood, if you will. Move in, join us, put up your own page and help keep all of us informed about the comings and goings of this new culture.
Tell us your views on any and all subjects. Your favorite music, books, movies, people, cars, pets you name it…everyone wants to know what your vision is. How do you see it?
What is your gamers vision?



Harder, faster, louder…it’s how we play our games, it’s how we live our lives. It’s our new ethos.

The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess - Over 50 Hours of Sheer Joy

By Sean

The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess is the first game I purchased for my Nintendo Wii, oh these four months ago. Since getting it, it has become something of an obsession for me. I have spent (almost) every spare moment (and some moments I really couldn't spare) immersed in the world of Link, Zelda, Epona, and Midna. Well last night, during my 50th hour, Gandondorf, the King of Theives, laid dead on the ground, felled from a fatal blow delivered by the light-charged Master Sword. Long have I wished to share my feelings on this game, but I didn't want to rush to judgment based on an impartial sampling of the game. I wanted to make sure I had played all the way through before I rendered a verdict. Well, now that verdict is in: Twilight Princess is the best game I have ever played.

I know that many out there will cluck their tongues at me for making a statement like that. Sure, the Wii doesn't pack the graphical or aural fireworks of the 360 or PS3, and this is basically a GameCube game only slightly upgraded for Nintendo's next-gen wonder. But even considering all this, Twilight Princess is still the greatest gaming experience I have ever played.

Starting off in Ordan Village, you must figure out everything that needs to be done. You will need to find items (fishing rod, slingshot, wooden sword, etc.) and each item that you find will lead you to the next. This is a pattern that will continue for the entirety of the game.

I won't go into too much detail about how the game runs, what order things are accomplished, or what to do in order to defeat big bosses. I want to just focus on a few of my favorite aspects of the game, and maybe point out the few areas I feel could have been improved.

First of all, I want to focus on the puzzles in this game. I've long felt that the creators of the Zelda franchise games, from the NES to the Wii, have had a knack for crafting puzzles that keep gamers of any age engaged. The puzzles are varied, complicated and challenging without ever (or rarely) becoming frustrating. The later you get into the game, the more complicated the puzzles become, and the more satisfying it becomes to solve each one.

There were five or six points in the first 15-25 hours of the game where I found myself thinking, "I may have just done the coolest thing I've ever done on a video game!" I loved riding my horse across Hyrule Field, while firing slingshot seeds at other mounted enemies. Hitching a ride on the giant pterodactyl creature to get up and down the river was amazing. Walking all around the Death Mountain dungeon with the Iron Boots- simply amazing.

Sumo-wrestling the Goron Chief showed that Link's size is never to be a negative.

But the thrills and novel gaming functions didn't stop here.

Riding the Spinner in the Gerudo Desert Temple was dizzying and stunning. Snowboarding down the snow-capped mountains was a blast. Really- there were too many great moments to list. Rest assured, at every turn there is something fun, something challenging, and something unlike any game you've ever played before.

That being said, there were a few things about this game that bothered me. Many of the main bosses in the dungeons were easy to beat, some ridiculously so. I also feel like some of the dungeons themselves were over all too quickly (Hyrule Castle comes right to mind) while some took more time than was warranted (City in the Sky anyone?) I also wish that more had been done to help with side-quests. I feel like there is so much I missed (larger wallet, extra heart containers, and Magic Armor are a few examples) and no real way to know how to find these things.

Speaking of heart containers: What's the deal with having to find five pieces to make a complete heart?! For time out of mind, you only needed four pieces, now they spring this five stuff on us. What's that all about?!

Still though, all things being equal, I will stand by my assertion that The Legend of Zelda:Twilight Princess is the greatest experience a game has ever offered me. I guess now its time for me to sign up for Xbox Live and find the next greatest experience.

By Genre, the Best and Worst of the First Part of 2007

By Veggie Jackson

My Quarterly Report

Though those on the East coast would never know it, it's April already, which means it's time to present the best and worst in video games for the first quarter of the year.

Listed by genre, here are my best (and worst) video game releases of 2007's first quarter.

Shooters

Best: Ghost Recon: Advanced Warfighter 2 (Xbox360)
*The single player campaign is a bit short, but the visuals are top notch and the gameplay, especially multiplayer, is what every other tactical shooter should aspire to.

Honorable Mention: Lost Planet: Extreme Condition (Xbox360), Stalker: Shadow of Chernobyl (PC)

Worst: Bullet Witch (Xbox360)
*Decidedly last-gen graphics and an awkward control scheme make it not worth it to get to the few enjoyable moments this game has to offer.

Action Games

Best: God of War II (PS2)
*Kratos' second bloody romp through Olympus is the perfect send off to one of the greatest consoles ever. If you haven't played it yet, you should do so now.

Honorable Mention: Prince of Persia: Rival Swords (PSP), TMNT (GBA)

Worst: TMNT (DS)
*TMNT on the DS is by far the worst of the eight versions (yes eight versions) of this game. The dual screen control scheme is just awful, and there are only about 20 opportunities for combat through the whole game.

Sports games

Best: Wii: Sports (Wii)
*Nintendo's Wii has changed the way people think about and play video games, and Wii Sports is the best showcase so far for the system's unique control scheme.

Honorable Mention: World Soccer: Winning Eleven 9 (PC), Virtua Tennis 3 (Xbox360)

Worst: Major League Baseball 2K7 (DS)
*Admittedly, the DS isn't a great platform for sports games in general, but MLB 2K7 manages to fail on every conceivable level. It?s ugly, there are almost no options, and the gameplay is almost bad enough to be called broken.

Strategy Games

Best: Command & Conquer 3: Tiberium Wars (PC)
*A streamlined and balanced RTS with spectacular graphics, an interesting storyline and some of the best cinematics around. A worthy addition to the venerable Command & Conquer series.

Honorable Mention: Galactic Civilizations II: Dark Avatar (PC), Supreme Commander (PC)

Worst: Maelstrom (PC)
*It's visually decent, but the controls are baffling, the soundtrack is obnoxious, and the AI is downright insulting. A disappointing effort from the makers of 2004's innovative surprise hit Perimeter.

Rhythm Games

Best: Guitar Hero 2 (Xbox 360)
*The gameplay is still pure joy, and the slight additions to its predecessor make it a must own for wannabe rockers.

Honorable Mention: Dance Dance Revolution Universe (Xbox360), SingStar Pop (PS2)

Worst: Boom Boom Rocket (Xbox Live Arcade)
*Fun for about 5 minutes, there is no reason to go beyond the demo version of this repetitive Fantavision knockoff.

Fighting Games

Best: Virtua Fighter 5 (PS3)
*Far from a button-masher, VF5 is a masterpiece of complex, nuanced combat. It also happens to be undeniably gorgeous.

Honorable Mention: Tekken 5: Dark Resurrection (PS3), Tekken: Dark Resurrection (PSP)

Worst: Def Jam: Icon (PS3/Xbox 360)
*EA turned the visceral Def Jam series into a bland fighter with lots of bells and whistles and no real substance. The story's cool, though.

Racing Games

Best: MotorStorm (PS3)
*Visually stunning and flat out fun to play. The blistering sense of speed more than makes up for the lack of tracks and options.

Honorable Mention: Burnout: Dominator (PS2), Test Drive Unlimited (PSP)

Worst: Micro Machines V4 (DS)
*Sure it's got 750 unlockable cars, but the combination of a maddening camera and a punishing level of difficulty make Micro MachinesV4 one of the most frustrating racers in recent memory.

Adventure Games

Best: Sam & Max Episode 4: Abe Lincoln Must Die! (PC)
*It's short, it's silly and it recycles a lot of environments from the first 3 episodes, but it's also very well structured and legitimately funny. It's also cheap.

Honorable Mention: Secrets of the Ark: A Broken Sword Game (PC), Sherlock Holmes: The Awakened (PC)

Worst: The Sacred Rings (PC)
*The voice acting is outstanding and it plays just like Myst, but its puzzles and clues are way too vague to decipher. An exercise in frustration with very little payoff or motivation.

Rereleases

Best: The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (Wii Virtual Console)
*Rereleases are only as good as the original game, and the Wii Virtual Console offers a dead solid perfect emulation of the classic N64 title. No changes needed.

Honorable Mention: Castlevania: Symphony of the Night (Xbox Live Arcade), The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past (Wii Virtual Console)

Worst: Legend of Kage (Wii Virtual Console)
*It sucked in 1985 and it still sucks today. Can someone tell me who decided to rerelease this thing? (And it's pronounced "Kah-gay", not "Cage". Don't ask why I know that.)

Expansions

Best: The Elder Scrolls IV: Shivering Isles (Xbox 360)
*Shivering Isles adds an entirely new otherworldly country to the already massive world of Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion. The insane and often hilarious ramblings of Sheogorath, evil god of madness, make the $30 price tag worthwhile.

Honorable Mention: World of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade (PC)

Worst: Sims 2: Seasons (PC)
*Now your Sim can make snowmen and go fishing! Are we done with this Sims thing yet?

A Look at (In)Decency in War-Themed Video Games

By theturk

America loses veterans of foreign wars every day. Often these men and women are self-sacrificing, hard-working, eminently likable people who, after serving their time wish only to live out the rest of their lives in peace. Unfortunately for them, the reminders of war are often ubiquitous, especially for those armed services personnel who have seen combat and have been adversely affected by it. The popping of a balloon, a car’s muffler backfiring, or ironically, fireworks at a Fourth of July parade, can often send these brave men and women into fits of paranoia and fear. So isn’t it the apex of unintentional cruelty when a veteran watches his grandson play a violent war-themed game? Are these games making light of the horrors of combat, while somehow lacking the appropriate tone with regards to those people who have gone through it?

This phenomena is not relegated only to interactive forms of modern entertainment. While viewing the Stephen Spielberg epic Saving Private Ryan, this blogger’s late grandfather, a veteran of World War II had to leave the theatre he had been attending. Indeed, war movies are often more graphic and intense than war-themed video games. The gap between movies and video games however, is fast closing. What happens when video games have the technological capabilities of fully immersing the gamer in synthetically produced combat? Something else to keep in mind is this: war films typically carry with them anti-war themes; the main object in video games, however, is to kill more of the enemy.

Aside from the actual gameplay, cut scenes often portray intense and perhaps for some, inappropriate reminders of real live combat. I recall playing a video game based in Vietnam, where the cinematics between levels showed men playing Russian Roulette, being tortured, and ultimately returning back to civilian life broken and beaten. To be sure, movies have illustrated these very same events; however, when watching a movie, one cannot simply press start to skip it.

Still, isn’t playing war hard-wired in the human code? Whether we are young children playing soldier, basking in combat glory on a paintball field, using war metaphors in our sports, games, relationships, or life in general, isn’t war so commonplace in our lives that to indict video games for being in poor taste is to indict much of American, if not global culture?

We All Bathe With A Yellow Submarine...

By Nikkita

Calling all bath time fans.

You wanna rock out with your... uh...socks off?

I could take the time an explain to you that this is infact a floating submarine radio, with waterproof speakers and an antenna (shaw! an antenna!) But is that necessary. It's so damn cute, and I think that speaks for itself.







Make sure to tune into your local popular FM station and listen for my new hit single In Da Tub


You can find me in the tub, bottle full of bub
Look mami I got the mohawk if you into soapy suds
I'm into taking baths, I ain't into standing up
So come give me a hug if you into rub...ber duckies

After I bank on that, I'm going to take baths IN Bacardi with my diamond studded Submarine Radio. Did I mention my bathtub will actually be a pool? Yes, a pool of Bacardi. Man, the ladies love me.



Thanks to www.iwantoneofthose.com